Everyday life would be quite difficult if you had no knowledge of mathematics whatsoever. On a basic level one need to be able to measure, estimate and calculate. Mathematics is used as a problem solver in every field of science and is playing a very important role in our daily lives. In fact mathematics is involved directly or indirectly wherever we go and every thing that we may use. Living your day to day life without maths would be extremely difficult. Even if you were a nomad in the desert you would want to count your goats wouldn’t you?
Measurement is how we determine the exact capacity of something that is in solid, liquid or gas form. It is the process or the result of determining the ratio of a quantity. Estimating is a process of defining the quantity of the imaginary things .For example we estimate for the cost of production of anything which will be completed (ready) later but we have imagined that it’s cost will reach to this figure.
Why do we measure?
We measure to find out something about an object in order set objectives and planning work schedules. For example a carpenter needs to know the length of a piece of wood. It has to be right size.
1.2 MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
In the past, each culture used their own system of measuring things. You might have come across some of them, and you may be using some even today. Eventually, people decided that there must be an international measurement system where all ranges can be measured according to an agreed standard. For each type of measurement, there is a particular measuring instrument which is most suitable to do the job. It will be impossible to list all the possible measuring instruments, thus we will look at the most common instruments and welcome your knowledge and experience to enhance understanding of this section. When using any measuring instruments, ensure that measurement is: accurate, precise and viewed squarely off the scale of the measuring instrument.
- Ruler
A ruler is an instrument used in geometry, technical drawing, printing and engineering/building to measure distances and/or to rule straight lines. It contains calibrated lines to measure short, straight lines (linear lines). We can measure millimeters and centimeters with a ruler. If you need to measure using a ruler, you will place the 0cm measurement at the start of the line and read the measurement at the end of the line on the comparative point on the ruler. In engineering, we use millimeters as the common measurement. Centimeters are more often used for domestic purposes. A type of ruler used in the printing industry is called a line gauge. These may be made from a variety of materials, typically metal or clear plastic. Units of measurement on a basic line gauge usually include inches, agate, picas, and points. More detailed line gauges may contain sample widths of lines, samples of common type in several point sizes, etc.
Take care when reading measurements:
- ensure that you have placed the 0mm exactly on the pre-determined point
- ensure that you have a square view of the measurement.
- Measuring Tapes
A measuring tape is used when a ruler is too short to measure the distance or length. We use the measuring tape to measure short distances in meters. Measuring tapes are usually gradated in millimeters, centimeters and meters. Measuring tapes come in different styles. For measuring rooms, or large areas, the heavy duty style, in a case that pulls open and snaps shut is often used. Measuring tapes also come in soft material, used for the dress maker, or to measure a hem and everything in between. Understanding what measurement it shows is important in any project.
Steps
· Understand what the labelled units are. A 1/16 of an inch is usually the smallest measurement on a tape measure, which means the distance between every line on the tape measure is 1/16 of an inch.
The distance between each measurement that has a red dot above it.
· Understand what 1/8 is. 1/8 of an inch is twice as big as the 1/16 of an inch. It is every other mark
· Understand what 1/4th of an inch is. 1/4 of an inch is every four marks on your tape measure.
- The distance between each measurement with a red dot.
· Understand what 1/2 of an inch is. A 1/2 (half) inch is exactly what it sounds like: Half of 1 inch.
The distance between each measurement with a red dot.
· Understand, finally, what inches are. Inches are the long lines that cross either half of, or all of the 1″ width of the tape. They usually are preceded or followed by numbers.
The distance between each mark with a red dot.
Measure
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- Hold the front of the tape at the point where you wish to start the measurement and extend it to the point where you want to stop.
- Read the first large number before your stop point – this will tell you the number of inches.
- Read the smaller lines of various sizes (remembering what the various sizes mean) up until your stop point. This will tell you your fraction of an inch.
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